File No 010: The Missing Baker
by BlueVanillaDetective
Summary: We've seen how Lucy solved a case without the Prof, but we haven't seen the Prof solve a case without Lucy. What happens when Lucy goes missing? What will Alfendi do to find his assistant? Lucy X Alfendi. Some parts may have been rewritten or edited
1. Chapter 1

For the sake of this story, pretend that the Prof is 26 and Lucy is 24.

Disclaimer: I do not own Layton Brothers® Mystery Room. Level-5 Inc. does.

* * *

As Lucy Baker pushed him out of the office and onto the street, Alfendi Layton, or "Potty Prof," as she dubbed the persona, stumbled forward. Regaining his balance before his face met the sidewalk, he turned to glare at Lucy.

The detective constable was unfazed, having been exposed to the glare before. "Prof, you needed a walk. When was the last time you went outside of the Mystery Room?"

Potty Prof snarkily replied, "Since I went home to my apartment last night, Baker."

Rolling her eyes, Lucy grabbed him by the hand and skipped along. Internally, he sighed and gave up, trying his best to ignore the warmth of her hand and the softness of her skin. There was no use in trying to get Lucy to let him go back, so he walked on beside her.

Despite his internal grumbles, Potty Prof couldn't complain too much, since it was a nice day out. There was a nice breeze flowing, and the chatter of the townsfolk and the mouthwatering smell of bread baking wafted from the café.

It was so tempting, in fact, that Lucy stopped her skipping.

The Prof, shifting to his nicer persona after such a relaxing walk, didn't need his detecting skills to know that Lucy was getting hungry. He turned to her and raised an eyebrow.

"Would you like to get something to eat?"

He regretted his words as soon as he blurted them out. It sounded like he was asking her on a date!

He didn't need to worry, though. Lucy, oblivious to his meaning, beamed and said, "Ta, prof. I skipped breakfast this morning."

 _In the rush to get to work, no doubt._ Potty Prof said sarcastically, since the detective constable had arrived late.

They entered and settled at a small booth. They had come in just before lunch hour, so luckily for them, it wasn't too busy. Soon, the waitress, wearing a name tag that said "Fran," came up to them. She asked, "What can I get you two?"

Having glanced at the menu, Alfendi replied, "A turkey on rye and a bottled water, please."

The waitress nodded and turned to Lucy. "A ham and cheese and a hot chocolate. Thanks."

Fran collected their menus and left to place their order. The two engaged in small talk, since they hadn't really been around each other outside of the workplace. They talked about the weather and Scotland Yard. They even talked about how homely the café seemed.

After a while, feeling the awkwardness in the atmosphere, Lucy excused herself to go to the ladies' room. While she was gone, Fran came back with their order. After placing their plates on the table, she turned to the Prof, and said, "If you don't mind me saying, I think you two make a nice couple."

Potty Prof was thankful that Lucy wasn't here at the moment. He would never live it down if she found out that he had blushed. "We are NOT a couple! We are just coworkers having an early lunch!"

Fran raised an eyebrow. "Really?" She had seen her share of couples who dined in this café, and these two customers were acting like one, although the relationship seemed fairly new. "Well, you'd better ask her on a date soon. With looks like that, some other guy could come in and sweep her off her feet."

The Prof barely kept his other side at bay. Potty Prof was snarling at the thought of Lucy with someone other than himself. With a controlled expression, the Prof forced a smile and said, "Thank you for your advice."

With a nod and a smile, the waitress disappeared, just in time for Lucy to come back. Her eyes scanned Alfendi's face, and she frowned. "Is there something wrong, Prof?"

He shook his head. "No, nothing's wrong." He gave an innocent smile.

Lucy seemed unsure, but she let the subject drop. The two ate in silence. The Prof didn't know what Lucy was thinking, but he was debating about what Fran had said.

Unlike Potty Prof, he didn't deny that he felt an attraction to Lucy, one that went beyond the bond between coworkers. But what could he do about it? If he did confess his feelings and Lucy shared his feelings, then it could go one of two ways. On one hand, there were fraternization rules prohibiting coworkers from dating each other, but on the other hand, not a lot of people came down to the Mystery Room, and those who did would keep it a secret, out of fear of Potty Prof or out of friendship with either Lucy or the Prof.

Another factor to consider: He and Lucy worked together pretty well, which felt different than the time he spent with Hilda. In fact, everything about Lucy contrasted with Hilda−clothes, posture, personality, but somehow, he still felt attracted to her.

In fact, the only thing that Hilda and Lucy shared in common was their stubbornness and determination to stick by his side.

Maybe that was a good thing, reflected Alfendi, considering that his and Hilda's relationship had died a long time ago and his feelings for her had disappeared.

However, he wondered if he could stop his other side from harming Lucy. On one of their previous cases, Potty Prof had apparently threatened to cut her tongue out, but it must have been an empty threat. He wouldn't harm his assistant, would he? Especially one that defended him not so long ago?

Alfendi couldn't take that chance. And yet…

With a start, he realized they had finished eating. He signaled Fran for the bill. Lucy reached for her wallet, but he stopped her. When she protested, he said, "My father raised me to be a gentleman. Please don't let his efforts go to waste."

Who could argue with that? Lucy sighed and put her wallet away, although she smiled at his thoughtfulness. "Ta, prof."

As the Prof finished and put the tip on the table, he turned to Lucy and said, "Should we get back to the Mystery Room and finish that last case report?"

Lucy was glad that she was able to get him out of the office for some time. He seemed less stressed after his time out. "We probably should," she agreed, and off they went.

They had a pleasant walk back to the Mystery Room. They chatted about what to write in the case files and reports, and joked about getting writer's block and hand cramps. However, both were oblivious to the fact that it was the calm before the storm.

At a distance, a figure followed them, hidden in the shadows.

* * *

What do you guys think? Should I continue with this story?

Read and review, but no flames, please!


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you for reviewing, Childatheart28, Guest, awesomest99er! Warning: In this chapter are spoilers for File No. 009: Good Cop, Bad Cop.

Read and review, but no flames, please.

Disclaimer: I do not own Layton Brothers® Mystery Room. Level-5 does.

* * *

In her chair, Lucy sat back with a smile on her face. She had just finished the extensive amount of paperwork for the Forbodium Castle case, and she didn't have to work overtime to do it.

Alfendi looked over, a smirk creeping up on his face. "I take it that you're done with your paperwork?" he said.

Lucy ignored the jibe and stood up to stretch. "Aye. Do you need me to do anything else?"

The Prof scanned his own stack of paperwork. There were only a few pages left on his report to complete, but everything else was done. "No. You deserve some rest after that case."

Lucy came up to his desk, shaking her head. "It were nowt, Prof. Really." She didn't want him to feel guilty over something that wasn't anyone's fault but Diane Makepeace's and Justin Lawson's.

Alfendi smiled sadly. Sometimes, Lucy was too kind and loyal. She never failed to see the good side of people. "Thank you. And be careful on your way home!" He said, knowing that she was riding her bicycle home at such a late hour.

"Ta, Prof. I will!" Lucy shouted back over her shoulder as she left the Mystery Room.

* * *

As she started to pedal her way to her apartment, Lucy took in her surroundings. The streets were empty, save for an occasional passer-by or car. She glanced up. The moon was full and pale, contrasting with the dark night sky, which was littered with stars.

The peaceful sky reminded her of her family's home in the country. She could almost smell her mother's baking, and hear her dad working on the car.

She sighed nostalgically. However, she wouldn't trade her current life for anything. Working with the Prof, solving crimes, and apprehending criminals only added to the thrill of her new life in urban London.

The Prof. Lucy wasn't sure how to feel about him. She blushed as she remembered how they had met, with the unfortunate timing of his entrance and her accusation and finger point. Her blush receded as she recalled her first case, with the hand sandwich, and how excited she was to work with the Prof.

Then after that, came the case with the ice knife, and she saw the other side of Alfendi Layton, Potty Prof. She couldn't deny that he scared her when he first appeared, but she got used to him, as they solved crimes brought by others of Scotland Yard−Flo, Dustin, Sniffer, Hilda, and Justin.

She tensed as she heard the last name. Justin. At first, she thought that Justin was looking out for Alfendi. After that last case, her entire world had been turned upside down. Justin had been protecting Keenan Makepeace in the Met, and had ended up killing Keelan, almost killing the Prof, and later killing Keelan's daughter Diane.

She felt sorry for Sniffer and the others, though. They had been friends with Justin long before she had even stepped foot into the Mystery Room, and he had betrayed their trust. On the bright side, Alfendi was finally able to figure out what caused his personality switches, even if a trashy book on brainwashing seemed to be an unlikely source.

With that final thought, Lucy reached her apartment. Using her brakes, she stopped, and hopped off. After securing the bike onto a bike rack with a lock, Lucy walked into an elevator, and stepped off at the 7th floor.

She neared her apartment, and reached into her pocket for her keys.

She fumbled, and they slipped out of her hand. Sighing at her bad luck, she bent over to grab them. Then she froze. The hairs on the back of her neck tingled, as if someone was behind her.

As she straightened up slowly, she turned. No one was there.

Unseen to the naked eye, however, a pair of yellow eyes and a collar with silver spikes gleamed in the shadows.

"Come on, Lucy lass. Don't get het up over nowt," she berated herself. Using the key, she managed to get into her apartment.

As soon as she entered the doorway, however, she stopped. Her apartment was a mess! Sure, at times there was an occasional shirt or jacket strewn on her sofa because she rushed to get to work, but her apartment looked like it had been ransacked.

Lucy was in investigator mode. Keeping silent, she slowly went through her apartment, looking for any sign that the intruder was still here. She made her way through the living room/dining room area, then through the kitchen and the bedroom. She found no one there, although the entire apartment looked like a tornado had gone through it.

After she finished searching, she stood back at the living room, her attention on the few clues she had found. There were pieces of white fur and a few short brown hairs left near the coffee table. Did some animals escape a circus and go through her apartment?

She decided to call Alfendi. The Prof would know what to do. Glancing at the clock, which was miraculously unharmed, she decided that he would probably still be in the office. Dialing his number, she hoped he would pick up.

After three rings, he did. "Hello?"

Lucy sighed in relief. "Hey Prof, it's me, Lucy."

"Lucy?" The Prof sounded confused. "Are you alright?"

Lucy was about to reply, but just then, the figure from the shadows pounced on her. The force knocked her head to the ground, and she slumped over, unconscious. In the scuffle, her phone was knocked out of her hand, and landed under her coffee table.

"Lucy? Lucy! Answer me! Lucy!" said the Prof, sounding more and more worried.

The mysterious assailant ignored the calls and picked up Lucy, leaping from her balcony to the ground below in seconds. Landing on his feet, he ran, with Lucy still in his arms.


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you for your review, Colorful Pickle, awesomest99er!

Keep reading and reviewing, but no flames, please!

Disclaimer: I do not own Layton Brothers® Mystery Room. Level-5 does.

* * *

Alfendi stared at the phone in his hand. _What had just happened?_

Lucy had called him. At first, when he saw the caller ID, he had been worried that she had been hit by a car. However, after he picked up and heard the violent scuffle on the phone…

Making a split-second decision, he grabbed his keys and coat, locking the door behind him.

Alfendi drove to Lucy's apartment, the pounding of his heart loud and clear in his ears. Braking hard and parking quickly in the parking lot of Lucy's apartment, he locked the car door and took the elevator up, all while his body was pumped with adrenaline.

Arriving at the door to Lucy's apartment, he scanned it. The door did not seem to be damaged, but Lucy had left it open. _Why?_

As soon as he stepped in, he understood. The apartment was a mess! Chairs were upturned, pieces of cloth were strewn everywhere, and for some reason, there were brown hairs and white pieces of fur on the floor near the coffee table. That was strange, because the Prof didn't remember Lucy mentioning having any pets. He knelt down and used his gloves to place samples of each substance in evidence bags.

As he neared the sofa, looking for more trace evidence, a flash of light caught his eye. Reaching in, he pulled out Lucy's cell phone. It had about 20% left of the battery.

Since there was no purpose in using it, Alfendi was about to turn it off when the phone's light illuminated a dark spot he hadn't been able to see before. When he got closer, his heart stopped.

It was a pool of blood. What worried him the most was that it was fairly large, and therefore it must have resulted from a serious injury.

Potty Prof was mentally yelling at him. _Pull yourself together, Placid. It might not even be Baker's blood!_

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, the Prof forced himself to think positively. Perhaps Lucy had put up a fight and injured her assailant? Either way, worrying about it now wouldn't help the situation.

So, what next? Someone attacked Lucy while she was on the phone with him, leaving behind the hair and fur. How did he or she escape?

His attention was caught on the remainder of the curtains, flapping in the breeze. Of course! The balcony.

He walked out onto it, looking for clues on what happened next. He found more hair and fur on the railing, but no rope.

He frowned. That didn't make any sense. Did the kidnapper jump off the railing? It was about 8 stories above the street. Whoever took Lucy must have been incredibly agile and confident.

Believing that he had found everything of importance in Lucy's apartment, he scanned the rest of the rooms. Other than finding more of a mess, there wasn't anything else noteworthy.

Dialing his phone, he waited for "Sniffer" Hague to pick up. While excitable at times, the detective sergeant was competent enough to take care of this crime scene. After all, he had been trained by…Justin.

Potty Prof took over, snarling under his breath. He still hadn't forgiven Justin for causing his personality disorder. From some cheap brainwashing book, no less.

"Hague," said Sniffer, sounding groggy. No doubt that he had just woken from sleep.

"Hague! Get over to Baker's apartment! She's been kidnapped!" Potty Prof barked into the phone.

"What?" said Sniffer, sounding much more awake now. "Alright. I'll be there in ten minutes."

That was enough time for Potty Prof to calm down, and once Alfendi made sure that the crime scene was secure, he made his way back to Scotland Yard. There was someone he needed to see.

* * *

"Florence! Are you in here?" asked Placid Prof, stepping into the forensics lab. He hoped his fellow workaholic was still here. He had insisted that he take over, since he knew how much his other side scared the forensics expert.

"A-Achoo! Right here, Al," replied Florence Sich. Wheeling around in her wheelchair, she address the inspector. "What's going on? Sniff."

"I need you to analyze these for me. See if there's any DNA match," said Alfendi, pulling out the evidence bags with the hair and fur, "and run this for fingerprints," he continued, placing Lucy's phone, wrapped in a latex glove, on the counter.

"Wait a minute. Isn't this Lucy's? A-achoo! Al, tell me what's going on."

Alfendi sighed. He knew Florence wouldn't process the evidence until she knew what was going on. "Lucy was kidnapped."

"What?" asked Florence, her eyes wide despite the bags hanging under them. In the duration of the time she had worked there, Lucy had become one of her closest friends. "What happened?"

"I'm not quite sure. So will you please analyze the evidence?" Alfendi pleaded.

"Of course," Florence nodded, her professionalism overriding her worry−for now. For all she knew, Lucy's life was depending on her.

* * *

Aware that she was returning to consciousness, Lucy stirred. She blinked her eyes open, wincing as she felt her head throb.

 _By 'eck, what happened last night? My head…_

She tried to stand up, to get something for the pain. She was sure she had aspirin somewhere in her apartment.

 _Why is it so dark? Did the lights go out?_

However, as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, Lucy frowned. This wasn't her apartment. For starters, the wall and the floor felt like concrete. There was a sort of musty smell to the air. She could hear water dripping from somewhere, and there were tiny feet scurrying on the floor. She shuddered, recognizing the sound. Rats.

 _Why can't I stand up?_

She felt that something−rope, maybe−was tied around her wrists and ankles. Apparently, she had also been silenced with a rag, although thankfully it seemed to be clean.

By now, her mind had caught up with reality, and she remembered the last few moments before she fell unconscious.

 _I were attacked, but who did it?_

And now she was stuck in some sort of dark basement, with no company except for the rats.

However, deep down, she knew it wasn't true. Her assailant would probably come back to get what he wanted from her.

She felt the hopelessness in the situation. On the verge of panic, she gave herself a mental slap in the face, and scolded herself. _Lucy lass, now is not the time to act like some damsel in distress._

After she gathered her thoughts and her wits, however, she felt somewhat optimistic. She had been on the phone with the Prof. He must have realized she was in trouble, and was now trying to find her.

Ignoring the headache, she closed her eyes and leaned back against the wall, waiting for someone to show up.

 _Prof, I have faith in you. Come and find me._


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you for reviewing, awesomest99er!

Keep reading and reviewing (no flames, please)!

Disclaimer: I do not own Layton Brothers® Mystery Room. Level-5 Inc. does.

* * *

"Al! Achoo! Alfendi, I got them! I got the results!"

Alfendi jerked awake at the call, a little angry at himself for falling asleep. Never mind the fact that he hadn't slept for 24 hours! Lucy needed him.

Florence wheeled in through the door, her eyes reading and re-reading the pile of papers resting on her legs. She glanced up for a moment.

"Al, are you all right?" She asked after getting a good look at his face.

"Yeah. What do you have?"

"Well, the phone was useless. The only fingerprints were Lucy's, so the call you received was really from her. Achoo! But the hair and fur you found yielded something more interesting," she paused, then looked at Alfendi.

"Do you remember the case I brought in all those months ago? The one with the murderess who killed off her husbands for their life insurance policies? Sniff."

"Wait a minute. Are you telling me that Goldie Potsby-Mahn was behind all this?" frowned the Prof. He was certain that she was still in jail. Unless…

He paused his train of thought as Florence explained. "Her boa would match the white fur. Also, she probably had a partner with brown hair. Male. Achoo!"

The inspector recalled that case. "She did have someone with her, I think. What was his name? …Bingo!"

"What?" asked the forensics expert. "What is it?"

"No," said Alfendi. "That was his name−Bingo. Thank you for your help, Florence."

"Just promise me you'll find Lucy," said Florence, her eyes locked on the inspector's face.

The inspector nodded, and headed out the door.

* * *

"Sniffer. Can you find out which cell of the jail Goldie Potsby-Mahn is living in?" asked Alfendi, pacing around the Mystery Room.

"Sure," replied the detective sergeant, who had come back a few hours after leaving the crime scene and was now in his own office. As he waited, Alfendi prayed that his suspicions from earlier were incorrect.

"Uh oh. It looks like there was a prison breakout a couple of days ago. After a head count was done, Goldie Potsby-Mahn was reported missing," said Sniffer. "And according to this security footage, a man with canine features helped her out by doing some digging. Literally. He dug her out of her jail cell. Seems like the walls aren't as solid as they appear."

"Alright. Thanks, Sniffer," the Prof hung up. So Goldie had her lap dog help her break out of prison, presumably for revenge for his and Lucy's part in putting a stop to her killing spree and subsequent flow of money. What would be the next step in her plan?

* * *

As if life was giving him an answer, Dustin Scowers stepped in. "Mornin', Al. I found this on the doorstep of Scotland Yard while I was cleanin'."

The janitor placed a package wrapped in brown paper and tied with a string on Alfendi's desk. He continued, "I heard about Lucy. You an' your assistant helped me bruv out of that mess, so if there's anythin' I can do ta make it up, jus' let me know."

Alfendi rubbed his eyes and sighed tiredly. "Thanks, Dustin." He remained in that position for a while, until he heard the janitor's footsteps fading in the distance.

Eyeing the package, the Prof slipped on some gloves, picked it up, and listened closely. There was no ticking or beeping, so it couldn't be a bomb. Nevertheless, he proceeded with caution. He cut through the string holding the package and opened the wrapping. Inside was Lucy's police badge. After examining it closely, he paled. It was smeared with blood. There was no doubt it was Lucy's.

The only other thing that had been on the box was a note.

 _Missing something? Like your precious assistant, perhaps?_

 _Don't worry. All you have to do is come alone to this location. And I do hope I don't have to show you what happens to Lucy if you bring the police._

The address listed below rang a dim bell. Sifting through his memories, Alfendi remembered that it had been for the apartment complex that Goldie had lived in with her now dead husband, Jack.

And bringing the police was not an option. One part of his brain remembered how well going alone had turned out when Diane Makepeace had threatened to blow up Lucy's apartment. But the other part of his brain overruled it, saying that he had to keep Lucy safe, in whatever way he could. If he told the police, he could be putting her in danger.

Making up his mind, he grabbed his coat and keys, and left for Goldie Potsby-Mahn's former residence.

* * *

Placid Prof decided to let Potty Prof take over, in case the situation called for it. Admittedly, it might not have been his smartest move, but…

After that last case, Potty Prof had gone from liking criminals, even the more atrocious ones, to distrusting them. After all, his old friend had turned out to be a criminal who almost killed him.

And his assistant was the first one who had defended him to the very end, saying that he didn't kill Diane, so Potty Prof felt that he should bring her back safely. …To settle his debt to her, of course.

As he stepped into the courtyard, he looked around. Most of the residences were dark, windows drawn. And it was quiet, he decided. Too quiet.

The silence was unnerving. Eventually, Potty Prof made his way to the door to Goldie's former apartment. He tried it. Locked. He cursed himself for forgetting the fact that they were automatically locked unless someone let him in.

However, as his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he found a video tape attached to the door. Taking it, he left the apartment complex and went back out into the garden.

Studying the videotape as he made his way back to his car, his back was turned. However, his instincts were still alert, so a split-second before it occurred, he shifted. And not a moment too soon.

Bang! There was the sound of the gunshot, echoing off of the walls of the apartment complex.

Placid Prof laid on the ground, slumped near his car. Mustering his strength, he had only one thought. Help. He…needed…to get help.

After a painful struggle, he propped himself up and reached his phone. Using the last of his strength, he hit a number on speed dial.

"Pertinax," Hilda's voice floated through the speaker. Black dots filled his vision.

"Hilda, please…help…" Alfendi's voice faded. He fell unconscious, having no more energy to keep himself up and awake. His grip slipped, and he dropped his phone and the video tape on the ground, where they laid as blood pooled around them.


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you for your review, Colorful Pickle, awesomest99er.

Keep reading and reviewing, but no flames, please!

Disclaimer: I do not own Layton Brothers® Mystery Room. Level-5 Inc. does.

* * *

As Alfendi returned to consciousness, he groaned as he felt a sharp pain centered around his torso. To make things worse, there was some sort of annoying beeping somewhere in the background and something was covering his nose and mouth. _Well, this seems familiar,_ he thought wryly, remembering that incident a few years ago.

With some effort, he managed to pry his eyes open, to a world of white. As he suspected, he was half-reclined in a hospital room, with an oxygen mask on his face and heavy bandages on his chest and abdomen.

A startled voice called out, "Alfendi!"

His eyes wheeled toward the source of the noise. Hilda was standing in the doorway with a cup of coffee, surprised that he had woken up.

He removed his oxygen mask. The ability to breathe on his own was coming back. "Hilda," his voice came out weakly, to the annoyance of Potty Prof. Potty Prof snapped, "Are you just going to stand there? Help me up. We have to get going."

She quickly walked closer to him, and sat down in the chair by his bedside. The surprised look was gone, replaced by frustration and annoyance. "I'm not helping you until you tell me what's going on! What happened? Why were you shot? And where is Lucy?"

As his strength decreased, Potty Prof shifted back into Placid, who told her the whole story. As he finished, Hilda sat back, quiet for a few moments. Then she said in a dangerously quiet tone, "And you didn't think to tell me?"

At her tone, Potty Prof came back. "At what time? When I was rushing over to Baker's apartment? Or when I was shot?"

"Hmph. Well, I'll use my contacts at Interpol and see what I can dig up on this Goldie Potsby-Mahn and her associates," said Hilda.

"Wait. I have to get to Lucy!" said Placid, his heart monitor beeping in panic. He rose, trying to sit up, and winced in pain almost immediately.

"Calm down, Al! You are in no shape to help Lucy. Look, Sniffer, Flo, or I will keep you updated on the progress. Now, relax before I call the nurse," warned Hilda, her hand hovering over the call button.

Forced to back down, Alfendi laid back onto the hospital bed, Potty Prof's annoyance making itself known in his mind. "What use am I to Baker if I'm stuck in this infernal hospital bed?"

As Hilda made her way out the door, she muttered under her breath, "At least you're still alive."

She meant it. Even if they bantered, she really was glad he had made it out of a second shooting in one piece.

* * *

Looking through Lucy's and Alfendi's old case files in the Mystery Room, Hilda frowned. Apparently, Goldie Potsby-Mahn had killed her previous husbands in order to get money from their life insurance. She must have been quite a devious mastermind to get away with it before Lucy and Alfendi discovered what she was doing.

Lucy and Alfendi. She wasn't sure how to feel about that, but she had seen the look in his eyes at the hospital. Even though she determined that they weren't a couple, she knew how Alfendi felt. And based on her encounters with Lucy, she knew that Lucy felt the same.

Sure, she had once loved Alfendi, but that was before he changed, and she had a hard time getting used to the other Alfendi, the placid one. Lucy seemed to be quite adaptable to both sides of his personality, and she _was_ quick to defend Alfendi during the Forbodium Castle case…

Hmm. Perhaps Lucy and Alfendi together did make sense, after all.

Florence wheeled through the door, waving a pair of evidence bags containing Alfendi's phone and the video tape he had found before getting shot. "Hello, Hilda. Al's phone had nothing on it. Just his fingerprints and some of the blood spatter from the shot," she said, handing it over.

"And I couldn't find much on this video tape. Fingerprints were wiped clean. I did find out that it wasn't a decoy. There really is something in here," Florence continued, while giving said DVD player to Hilda.

"Thank you, Florence. This will be very helpful," said Hilda, impressed, as Florence wheeled out the door. She wished the forensic experts at Interpol were as fast or efficient at analyzing evidence.

Hilda turned on the DVD player in the Mystery Room and pushed the cassette in. Pressing the "play" button, she waited as a black and white video appeared on the screen.

There was a figure sitting on the floor. With a start, Hilda realized it was Lucy. The young lady looked terrible. She had blood oozing out of the bump on her head, and she seemed to have trouble focusing her eyes. Not to mention all of those cuts and bruises on her body.

A man who resembled a canine paced around her, as if he was preventing her from escaping. _This must be Bingo,_ Hilda realized, _Goldie's current boyfriend._

A third figure appeared on the screen, a beautiful woman who somehow seemed sinister. _And this must be Ms. Potsby-Mahn herself._ She looked straight at the screen and said, "Inspector Layton. If you have received this message, you have not died from the gunshot, which is quite unfortunate. You have probably figured out that I have no plans of letting her go. After all, she was the one who got me into that prison, which is no place for a lady. By the time I am done with the Detective Constable, which will be tomorrow, I will be halfway across the country."

There was a brief transition, and Hilda was looking at Potsby-Mahn's face again. "Before we go, Lucy would like to say a few final words to you, and being the kind lady that I am, I have decided to let her have a word. She knows what will happen if she tells you the location, am I right?" she asked, nudging Lucy in the head. Lucy moaned.

"Very well. You may begin," said Goldie Potsby-Mahn, disappearing from the screen.

"Prof…you have been an amazing mentor. You taught me so much, and you made it fun. Those lunch dates were great, and I loved solving all of those cases with you. Especially the one involving the mafia. Prof, I don't blame you for what happened. I was the one who wanted to do this for a living, and I have no regrets. I love you. Goodbye, Prof, and give my love to Dustin, Florence, Sniffer, Hilda, and the commissioner," said Lucy, determined to get her message across despite the effects of the concussion. Then the video cut off.

Was it Hilda's imagination, or did the look in Lucy's eyes change when she said "commissioner" and "mafia"?

No. It definitely changed. Lucy must have been trying to give clues as to her whereabouts. This message was meant for Alfendi, so only the inspector would know what she meant.

Hilda sighed, dreading his reaction. If she knew him like she thought she did, he would jump out of the hospital bed against the doctor's orders to track Lucy down. Time for another visit to the hospital.


	6. Chapter 6

Thank you for reviewing, Guest, awesomest99er!

Keep reading and reviewing, but no flames, please.

Disclaimer: I do not own Layton Brothers® Mystery Room. Level-5 Inc. does.

* * *

As Hilda approached the hospital room, her footsteps faltered. Alfendi was awake, but he still looked so weak after the shot…

But he would want to know, and she _had_ promised to let him know of the developments in the case. Hilda sighed, and strode in.

"Hilda? What happened?" Alfendi asked, sitting up. Hilda was pleased to note that he had to struggle less than before in order to do so.

"I come bearing gifts," she said, handing over his phone. "Florence was done processing it. As for the videotape−"

She had burned the data off the videotape and transferred into a CD, which she now proceeded to insert into her laptop. Then she placed it onto his lap and pressed play.

Over the course of the video, she was surprised by how many emotions she saw expressed on his face. Horror at the sight of Lucy's head wound, fear that she would be killed, anger at Goldie Potsby-Mahn and Bingo, sadness at what had happened to Lucy, and love, when Lucy had said to him, "I love you." However, there were a few emotions she wasn't expecting. Confusion at the mention of the mafia and then a spark of hope at the mention of the commissioner.

"Of course! Thank you, Lucy," murmured Placid Prof.

"Did you see something, Alfendi?" asked Hilda.

He explained about the case that the commissioner had asked them to work on, the one with the mafia murders that were made to look like the Jigsaw killings.

"So I see where the commissioner comes into play. But why did she allude to that case?" wondered Hilda.

"I believe that Lucy was trying to tell us where she is being held−the warehouse on the marina, where the victims from that case were killed," explained the inspector.

"Okay. I'll tell Sniffer to−Alfendi! What are you doing?" she demanded, watching him struggle to get out of the hospital bed.

Potty Prof glared at her. "What do you think I'm doing? I'm coming with you."

"No, you are not! You are still recovering from a fatal gunshot!" Hilda snapped.

"Well, I'm still alive, aren't I? Besides, you know I'll just find a way out of here after you leave," he retorted.

Hilda glared, knowing that he was probably right. "Fine. But you will sign the discharge papers first."

Placid Prof nodded. Anything to get to Lucy faster.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, after much protests from the doctors and nurses and an embarrassing wheelchair ride to Hilda's car, Alfendi was sitting in the passenger seat as Hilda talked to Sniffer by speaker phone while driving.

"Sniffer! We are heading towards that warehouse on the marina, where we believe Lucy is being held. Meet me there with backup, and an ambulance," Hilda ordered, then hung up.

The rest of the ride was spent in nervous silence. What if they were too late? What if Lucy hadn't really given them a clue, and it had been the concussion talking?

The Prof pointed, having seen the sign for the marina. "Turn left here," he said, and Hilda pulled onto the docks, where Sniffer was waiting with two police cars driven by two more officers, as well as an ambulance. The lights from the police sirens shone brightly in the night.

Stopping the car, Hilda turned to him and glared fiercely. "Do not move, do you understand? I will not be dragging you with me, especially if you choose to collapse while following me."

With a grudging look, Potty Prof agreed. He decided that it was because her argument was logical…and not because that look she had given him had been very intimidating.

* * *

As according to plan, Hilda went through the back while Sniffer went through the front.

Moving stealthily through the rooms, Sniffer looked carefully through door and windows. He then made his way down to the basement. No one in that corner, no one over there…wait. What was that sound?

Using his flashlight, Sniffer shined a light in the direction of the muffled noise. His eyes widened. "Lucy," he breathed, shocked by her injured state. She was unconscious, and bound and gagged.

* * *

One floor up, Hilda moved in a similar manner as Sniffer had before, making her way to the two back rooms of the warehouse. Searching through the room on her right first, she found nothing but old boxes still left in storage. Moving quietly, she headed for the door on the left, which, according to the blueprints should have been the mafia boss' old office. Opening the door, she glimpsed a rather hairy man climb out the window.

Rushing over to that window, she saw that the man was following a female silhouette, clearly visible in the moonlight. Both were running away on the pier. Shooting at them, Hilda managed to clip the man in the leg. Hearing the wounded man howl in pain, the female turned, an involuntary reaction. The Interpol agent aimed at her shoulder and fired.

By the time Hilda reached the two, Sniffer's backup had arrived and handcuffed the individuals, one scowling and one, well, whimpering like a lost puppy.

Goldie Potsby-Mahn glared at her. "How did you find me so quickly? We covered our tracks."

Hilda smirked. "Well, that girl you hate so much…she's the one who told us where to find you. Now we'll just put you in a women's prison, with thicker walls."

The criminal grumbled. "Well, I would have gotten away with it, if it weren't for you and that interfering inspector."

"Take them away," said Hilda, nodding in satisfaction as Goldie Potsby-Mahn was placed in one car and Bingo was placed in the other. Sniffer joined the other officers, and the two cars went off to separate jails.

Turning, Hilda saw that Lucy had been placed on a stretcher, and was being loaded into the ambulance. She was still unconscious. In addition to her head wound, she had many bruises and cuts, some deeper than others. She would recover physically, but mentally? Hilda hoped she would get over the trauma of being kidnapped. She had been through a lot.

Alfendi stood there uncertainly, staring at the ambulance. Hilda rolled her eyes. "Go," she said, shoving him in the direction of the ambulance. Potty Prof gave her an annoyed look, but went in. The ambulance left, its sirens sounding loudly into the night.


	7. Chapter 7

Thank you for reviewing, Colorful Pickle!

Keep reading and reviewing, but no flames, please!

Disclaimer: I do not own Layton Brothers® Mystery Room. Level-5 Inc. does.

* * *

Alfendi sat by Lucy's bedside, watching as his assistant, a bandage wrapped around her head, took in air through an oxygen mask. The irony of his position just a day ago was not lost on him, although luckily, his chest and abdomen, now wrapped in lighter bandages, didn't hurt as much.

As he sat there scrutinizing her, hoping she would wake up any second now, he reflected on the last couple of days. Even though he didn't really do anything other than get shot and lay on a hospital bed, he had never felt more exhausted than he did now. Nevertheless, he refused to sleep. He had to see Lucy awake, that she was really okay. He wished that things would just go back to normal.

Normal. That felt like an eternity ago, but in reality had been only a couple of days, with the lunch date. He smiled wistfully as he remembered the waitress's misconception about their relationship.

It was funny. The main reason that Placid didn't choose to go into a relationship with Lucy was that he was worried about Potty Prof harming her. However, Potty Prof took the shot for her and didn't once complain about it. And he didn't seem to care about fraternization rules or harming his assistant.

 _Of course not! Baker's got guts, to have kept her head up this long,_ said Potty Prof, in a grudging compliment.

The more he thought about it, the more he decided that he should really follow the waitress's advice and ask her on a date. He promised himself that he would do it, as soon as she woke up.

* * *

He was brought out of his musings by a few balloons floating into the room. _What the…?_

As the balloons floated up onto the ceiling of the hospital room, Florence, Sniffer, Dustin, and Hilda slipped in. _How did…?_

At Alfendi's questioning look, Hilda smiled, and explained, "I thought her friends would like to see her. And she, in turn, would like to see them when she woke up."

"She most definitely would like to see them," a voice croaked from the bed.

Alfendi's neck turned so fast that Hilda winced, expecting to hear a loud crack. "Lucy! How are you feeling?" He asked, scanning her face and the equipment she was hooked up to.

"Thirsty," she answered, her tired amber eyes wheeling around the room. The inspector helped her sip some water.

"What happened?" she asked, exhaustion evident in her features. Alfendi and the others would have let her get some rest, but they all knew she would be stubborn enough to stay awake through the story.

Alfendi told her what happened after the phone call, with Florence, Sniffer, and Dustin jumping in at their parts in the story. As he reached the part where he got shot, he hesitated. He didn't want to worry her.

Lucy, sensing that something was wrong, asked, "What happened?"

Alfendi looked around for help, and finding none, he decided to speed through it, hoping that she wouldn't press on the subject. "As I walked back to my car, Iwasshot."

Lucy wasn't fooled. "You what?! Where?" She demanded, struggling to sit up.

"In my chest and abdomen. But I'm okay now, honestly," he said, adding the last part hurriedly as he gently pushed her back down.

Lucy stopped struggling, although she glared at him. "You'd better not be lying," she grumbled. Alfendi fought off a smile at her selflessness despite what she was going through.

Hilda cleared her throat, and told her the rest of the story, with Sniffer jumping in to tell her his side of it.

The assistant wondered, "What happened to Goldie n' her canine boyfriend?"

Hilda answered, "We put Ms. Potsby-Mahn into a women's prison, where there's a lesser chance of finding a thug who wouldn't be able to resist her charms. She'll serve the rest of her term for killing her ex-husbands, and attempting to kill the both of you. As for Bingo, he was only following orders, so he'll be given a lesser sentence, and he'll be put in a different jail."

"That's good. Ta, everyone, for your help," said Lucy, yawning. Everyone looked at each other, and made a mutual decision to leave and let her get some rest.

"No thanks needed, but get well soon, Lucy. Can't have one of the best detective constables on the force out of it," said Florence, waving goodbye.

"Oh, that reminds me," said Sniffer, fishing through his pockets. "Here you go."

Lucy looked at the object he had given her, and smiled brightly. "My badge! Ta, Sniffer." It was her badge, the one that had been taken from her by Goldie, now clean of the traces of blood. She had been wondering what had happened to it.

Sniffer smiled, and left, followed by Dustin, who wished her a full and speedy recovery.

* * *

Hilda looked to Alfendi. "Are you coming?" she asked, her eyebrow raised. The inspector _had_ arrived at the hospital without his car.

Before he could respond, Lucy grabbed his hand. "If it's alright with Hilda, can you stay for a little longer?" she asked, looking into his eyes.

The inspector looked to where the Interpol agent was, and saw that she had conveniently disappeared for a few minutes.

 _Well, she wasn't an Interpol agent for nothing,_ thought Alfendi, as he turned back to Lucy.

Lucy was smiling at him. "Ta, Prof, for everything you did."

The inspector smiled back. "As Florence put it, no thanks necessary."

His assistant was quiet for a while. "…And I'm sorry you got shot, because of me."

Alfendi's eyes widened in disbelief. Here was Lucy, cuts and bruises everywhere, and she was worried about him. "No. That's alright. I'm fine." Lucy gave him a skeptical look. "No, really, I'm okay."

Lucy continued with her disbelieving look. Time to use logic.

He smirked. "And you thought so too. You believed I was alive. You made a videotape…"

Here Lucy blushed, as she remembered the confession she had made to him. _What if he didn't feel the same way?_

Tilting her chin up and looking into her eyes, Alfendi swallowed. Here it was. The moment he had been waiting for. Smiling at her, he said, "I'm in love with you, too."

If Lucy had been smiling brightly about her badge before, now she positively beamed. Alfendi basked in the glow of it, his hand surrounding hers as it emanated warmth.

He cleared his throat, not taking his eyes off of her. "And I know that I did this backwards, but…would you like to go on a date with me? As soon as you recover?"

"Aye," Lucy replied softly, her eyes never leaving Alfendi's as he moved closer and closer.

Peeking in just outside of the doorway, Hilda, Florence, Dustin, and Sniffer smiled, as Alfendi and Lucy kissed.


	8. Chapter 8

Thank you for reviewing, Tsuray, awesomest99er, Guest, sahara1231998!

Keep reading and reviewing, but no flames, please.

Disclaimer: I do not own Layton Brothers® Mystery Room. Level-5 Inc. does.

* * *

"Well," said Alfendi with a wry smile, "this seems familiar."

Lucy sat across from him, at the same booth and café as they had occupied about two weeks ago. At his comment, she smiled back at him.

Alfendi's breath caught on his throat. Even though he had seen it many times before, her smile never failed to take his breath away.

"Prof? Is something wrong?" asked Lucy, wondering why he had frozen like that.

By then the inspector had recovered. He quickly shook his head. "No, nothing's wrong. Is that the waitress coming now?"

Lucy turned to look, successfully distracted from her suspicions. Alfendi breathed a small sigh of relief. Whew. Good. She didn't seem to have caught him looking at her.

Fran, their waitress from those two weeks ago, arrived to take their orders. Fran looked back and forth between them, sensing that something had changed…for the better. She smiled, then turned to Alfendi. "So, I see that you decided to take my advice."

"Yes, and it turned out to be very useful," said the inspector. "Thank you."

"What advice?" asked Lucy, interested in hearing the answer.

"On which sandwich to order," Fran lied smoothly. "So what'll it be, hon?"

Alfendi looked across the table at Lucy, who winked and said, "A turkey on rye and a bottled water, please."

He hid a smile, and said, "A ham and cheese and a hot chocolate, thanks."

After Fran left to place their orders to the chefs, the inspector noticed Lucy giving an almost imperceptible wince. "Another headache, again?"

A couple of weeks ago, after Lucy had been released from the hospital, she had gotten several migraines in one day. It had gotten so bad that Lucy had taken to wearing sunglasses in the Mystery Room.

According to her, however, they were occurring less often, and they were less painful each time.

In response to his question, she answered, "Aye. But I barely felt it that time. Honest." She didn't want him to worry and put a stop to their first real date since the incident, just because she had a teensy headache. It was sweet that he had come to visit her every day she was in the hospital, but she had really been looking forward to going somewhere besides the Mystery Room and her apartment.

Alfendi's eyes searched hers for any sign of deception, and finding none, he relaxed, only to tense at her next comment.

"So, what's up with you, Prof? You and the others seem distracted the last couple of days."

Her coworkers weren't exactly the most subtle of people. When she talked to Florence, she got the feeling that the forensics expert was hiding something. Dustin seemed to be avoiding the Mystery Room altogether, Sniffer would say he was busy with work, and Hilda…well, she was an Interpol agent, after all. Maybe she had another case in some other part of the world.

And the Prof had kept her busy with cases, short of short-circuiting the Reconstruction Machine.

Alfendi frowned. "You…you really don't know? Hmm…I thought you would have suspected…"

Before Lucy could ask him what the whole thing was about, their meal had arrived. Alfendi snuck anxious looks at the clock between bites. Lucy watched him, getting more curious by the minute. He smiled to himself as they finished the meal just as the clock struck 1:00. Right on schedule.

He cleared his throat. "Lucy. I'm sorry to cut our meal short, but there's something I have to get done. Can we get back to the Mystery Room?"

Lucy, still puzzling over this new mystery, agreed absentmindedly, and they set off for their workplace.

* * *

Lucy looked around Scotland Yard. Where was everyone? The place was like a desert, with no sign of her coworkers.

She turned to ask the Prof what happened to everyone, only to find that he had disappeared too. In his place, he had left a beaker, with a note saying, "Put us back where we belong."

Lucy, although a little confused, played along. She went towards the forensics lab, where she found a bouquet of flowers, along with a dustpan. Where would one find a dustpan? Aha!

She went to the janitor's closet. Wait. Other than cleaning supplies, there were so many odds and ends here. How would she find the next clue?

Her eye caught a flash of color. Following that line of sight, she notice that it had come from a scarf, wrapped around a very adorable teddy bear. Pinned to it was a note that said, "Give me a hug!"

Smiling, Lucy did as she was told, then noticed that the note had fallen to the floor, the other side up. This note said, "Follow your nose."

Lucy was confused. New Scotland Yard didn't have a cafeteria that she knew of…Oh! It was a reference to Sniffer. She headed towards his desk until she found a box of chocolates, as well as one final note. "Go back to where it all began."

Before she left, her eye caught the date on the calendar on Sniffer's desk. She smiled to herself. The final piece of the puzzle. Now she knew what the others had been hiding from her this whole time.

She headed towards the Mystery Room, lugging the gifts with her.

* * *

Placing the gifts on top of a nearby table, Lucy tried the door. She succeeded on opening it, and stepped in.

"Happy birthday!" shouted Alfendi, Hilda, and the others. Alfendi guided her towards her desk, now clearof office supplies. Looking down, she saw the cake and the pile of presents next to Florence, Sniffer, and Dustin.

"Ta, everyone," said Lucy, simultaneously grinning and blushing. As everyone finished singing the annual song, Lucy blew out the candles as they cheered.

"So, what did you wish for?" the curious side of Alfendi asked, as the others gave them some space. Right now they were debating whose presents Lucy should open first.

"Nothing. I have everything I need," Lucy answered, wrapping her arms around Alfendi and giving him a long, sweet kiss.

"Come on, Lucy! There's cake to be eaten and presents to be unwrapped," said Florence.

Breaking apart, the couple smiled at each other before they went back to join the party.

* * *

Thanks, everyone, for reading, reviewing, and/or following this story or making it one of their favorites! I appreciate the support, since I admit that I read better than I write :)


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